Audience

Pre-service U.S. based volunteers with little or no previous experience working in this context and setting.  They will partake in 9 month long service projects in West and Central African countries with People Serve International (PSI), a non-profit organization. 

Problem

At least 50% of volunteers miss at least 10 days of service in their first 3 months due to adverse health events ranging from minor illnesses to conditions requiring hospitalization and sometimes medical evacuation.  This has resulted in repeated delays in projects, costly treatments and even medical evacuations. It has also halted progress on goals set by People Serve International (PSI), threatening a loss of funding for the organization.

Solution

This training offers a more interactive approach to in-country health considerations that will change volunteer behavior, giving them the information to take measures to prevent serious illness from the start and improve health outcomes.  For PSI, this would also mean lowered liability risk, faster completion of projects and good standing with financial sponsors. 

Highlights

This one-hour virtual training includes a facilitator’s guide with producer notes, a PowerPoint slide deck, and a participant workbook for ongoing reference. Engaging elements such as polls, chat discussions, knowledge checks, and a breakout room activity ensure interactivity, while colorful visuals and infographics enhance comprehension.

Level 2 Evaluation: 

• Ungraded Knowledge Checks throughout the training will give the facilitator a general idea of how much the group is understanding.

•  Volunteers will also be given an ungraded quiz in-country on treatment protocols before they go through the hands-on health training (basic first aid and malaria slides).

Level 3 Evaluation: 

• The data for volunteers who attend this training will be tracked at 3 months, 6 months and at the end of service to measure the number of missed work days due to medical issues.  

• Success would be that each volunteer is missing less than 5 days every 3 months due to illness.  

• The number of medical evacuations due to preventable illness would be down to zero.

Tools

PowerPoint, Google Docs, Canva